Good behavior punch cards

02/18/2015

I was so excited when I opened the door. We were new to the area, and living in a brand new neighborhood, so when I saw a girl about my age holding a boy about my boys’ age standing on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to meet her.

She looked at me and asked ” do you have two boys around four years old”? I answered, “yes, I do!”

“They’re on your roof.”

Excuse me for a minute, while MY. JAW. DROPS. TO. THE. FLOOR.

I very politely thanked her (what else are you supposed to do in that situation??!!), and then ran as fast as I could up the stairs to our playroom. Sure enough, my four year old boys were on the roof, zooming cars off of the edge. Somehow, they had figured out how to unlock a window, open it, then remove the screen, and climb outside.

I called my husband immediately (after sending the boys to their room), and asked him to bring home extra locks for the windows, which he did, and we installed them that night. We needed to be able to use that room–the playroom–and I needed them to be safe.

The next day, the boys were playing upstairs again, and all of a sudden an eerie silence hit me, which is code for TROUBLE. Would you like to know what I found? Two little boys, on the roof again, and those new locks sitting on the floor, just below the window. Those boys. I love their guts out.

The next day I got smart.

I set an alarm on the windows.

End of story.

P.S. We never had a playdate with our new neighbor.

Life is never boring at our house, that’s for sure, and needless to say, a good behavior punch card has been a good idea for us. :)

I like motivating and encouraging through positive reinforcement, and rewarding good behavior. I think it’s important to offer good consequences as well as the negative consequences, and this is one of the things we’ve implemented. We’ve been working on our listening skills lately, and these punch cards are an easy way to keep track of all the good choices that my kids are making, recognize them when they do, and motivate them to do so.

How does it work? Any time I see them making a really good choice–listening the first time, being kind to a sibling, going the extra mile, doing chores quickly without argument, etc.–I use a hole punch to punch out one of the circles. When their hole card is punched, they earn a trip to our family treasure box. Stickers, notebooks, matchbox cars, candy, and coupons for things like an extra piece of dessert are some of the things they can choose from. Or…they can save up their punched cards, and get something bigger, like a date night with mom or dad, or staying up late to watch a movie.

It’s really simple, but it totally works with my kids. They’re kids, so of course they make decisions that aren’t the greatest (i.e. climbing on the roof), and those require consequences, and sometimes it can be easy to focus mostly on those, and the good things they do kind of lost in the shuffle. We’ve found that really looking for and noticing the good things they do build them up, and make it easier for them to make the right choices.

I never thought I would hear that story from anyone else but me. We had the same thing happen, and the house was three story!! I about died and was so mad at my sons at the time. We laugh about it now. One’s a freshman in college and the other is a senior in high school.

Thanks for getting back to me so fast , this punch card sounds like a great idea too .. I am def going to try this out .. Just wondering do you punch the card once a day ? Because sometimes they could do many good things so would you punch it at the end of the day kinda thing.. Sorry for all the question just wanna make sure I am doing this right .. Thanks so much . Ashley

There is no right or wrong! Just whatever feels right to you. I don’t punch it for every single small good thing they do–I play it by ear, and see how the day goes. Some days they need a little more motivation, and others not as much. I would just give it a try, and you can always make little changes here or there as you figure it out. Good luck!!! xoxo

You might find this hard to believe, but we also have 2 sets of twins! (8 total kids) and when we moved to our 3 story home we found our then 2 1/2 yr old boys on the roof (2nd story)…we’ve found them in the van before they should have been out of bed in the morning…..we’ve replaced countless toilets due to unknown objects being flushed & stuck. They’ve flushed goldfish; ruined most of our walls & carpets, and now that they are1st grade I get regular phone calls home from school. So far nothing has been lit on fire. Thank God. I am trying these punch cards for sure!!!

Hahaha! so much love for my boys!!! I read your reply after just coming home from an all day, 8-5 ER visit – 2 ERs actually after being transferred to a pediatric unit out of town, because one of the twins swallowed his tooth fairy money when he woke up – 2 “gold” dollar coins! They ‘slipped into his mouth’ he said……oh my gosh! We are firing that tooth fairy and firing a new one that only gives out paper money from now on. I need a nap….and a glass of wine – but none in the house so I will settle for the nap!

I keep them! The kitchen is a great place, or near your command center/calendar, etc. You can also punch a hole in one corner, slide them all onto a silver book ring, and then hang them somewhere convenient. xoxo

search

Hello, I'm Kierste--and I'm so happy you're here! We built our farmhouse on nine wooded acres in upstate New York that we've called Old Salt Farm, and this is our journey to make our house a home. Six darling kiddos, one handsome husband, and me!

My Latest Videos

Old Salt Farm Instagram

Simply Kierste Design Co. Instagram

CREATE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Any and all content on this website is created for inspiration purposes only. Creating with my suggested methods, products, instructions, tutorials, and tools is at your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don't know how to do something.

Simply Kierste is for entertainment purposes only. All tutorials and demonstrations are not intended to be professional advice, nor substitute as such, and I make no guarantees as to the procedures and information here.

AMAZON DISCLOSURE

Simply Kierste Design Co. (Kierste Wade) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. When you make a purchase after clicking on one of those links, I earn a small commission that helps support this blog, at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

COPYRIGHT POLICY

The images, tutorials, and content on simplykierste.com are protected by copyright laws. DO NOT distribute or copy the content without written permission. You may not use any images without permission. DO NOT edit or remove watermarks from any image. Pictures are not to be changed or altered in any way, shape or form without my consent. Please do not copy text or reprint recipes without my permission. All ideas and printables are for your personal use only. By downloading any files or printables, you accept that they are FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. My patterns, ideas and tutorials are NOT intended for resale or re-distribution. Please contact me with any questions. simplykerste@yahoo.com